In mid-June, Senator Kirsten Gillibrand (D-NY) reintroduced a new version of her bill, the Data Protection Act of 2021, that would create a new independent, executive-level government agency, the Data Protection Agency (DPA). The DPA would “protect Americans’ data, safeguard their privacy, and ensure data practices are fair and transparent.”
Under the bill, the DPA would have the authority and resources to enforce any data protection rules created by Congress or the agency itself, backed by a range of enforcement tools, including civil penalties, injunctive relief, and equitable remedies. In addition to creating privacy rules and enforcing federal-level rules, the DPA would reach out to organizations to promote data protection and encourage the adoption of model privacy and data protection standards, guidelines and policies.
